Directed by Bruce Beresford • 1981 • Australia
Starring Nell Schofield, Jad Capelja, Jeffrey Rhoe

Adapted from the popular novel by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, this Australian coming-of-age classic is a frankly realistic look at the experiences of two teenage girls growing up in early 1980s Sydney. Determined to join the in-crowd of cool-kid surfers who hang out and hook up at the beach, lifelong friends Debbie (Nell Schofield) and Sue (Jad Capelja) give themselves over to a world of casual sex, drugs, and misogyny until they realize they want something more out of life: respect and equality. A refreshingly naturalistic answer to the raunchy sex comedies that were its Hollywood counterparts, PUBERTY BLUES subverts the teen-movie formula with a message of empowerment and self-determination.